Mar 19, 2026
3 min read
Sean Miller has a lot of history with BYU.Here's what he had to say before the Cougars game.
Portland, Ore. - Sean Miller has a lot of history with BYU.
Nearly two decades ago, he led Xavier to an NCAA Tournament first-round victory over the Cougars.While at Arizona, he was on the receiving end of Jimmer Fredette's famous 49-point outburst at the McCale Center in 2009.
Miller, now the coach of the Texas Longhorns, will face BYU again in Thursday's round of 64, but the Cougars' Big 12 schedule has come a long way since the Mountain West Conference days when Miller last faced off.
"BYU has always been a basketball-centric place when it comes to sports," Miller told reporters Wednesday."When you think about sports, you have a lot of respect for their basketball program, their history, Danny Ainge and those guys. They're obviously fighting for the top prize.
"We respect the Big 12 Conference. Arizona, I'm very familiar with. Look at the top teams in this league, Iowa State, Houston, Kansas and (BYU is) one of the top teams. We're definitely playing against a quality opponent that's invested in their program, feel it. I think they'll be prominent in this tournament for years."
It was a tumultuous 24 hours for Miller and the Longhorns, who hit the airport in Dayton, Ohio for Tuesday night's first round of four games before flying down the Texas west coast and arriving in Portland at 6:30 a.m. Wednesday.
But even after the red-eyed cross country flight and the emotional victory, Miller believes going into the game with BYU will outweigh the lack of rest by winning the game.
"We're excited to be here. Last night seems like it ended 10 minutes ago, and we're here in Portland, Oregon, getting ready to play BIU. But we're super, super excited to be here," Miller said.
"There is nothing like the joy of the competition and progressing. I think there is a real trust and bond (with the team). Many good things come in March (after) that they could win a game, and we can take that and go to the big test tomorrow."
Miller has coached several outstanding talents over the years, including former NBA draft pick Deandre Ayton and current Utah Jazz star Lauri Markkanen.
But in BYU freshman phenom AJ Dybantsa, Miller sees a "generational" prospect.
"He can do it all," Miller said of Debantsa."I think his ability to miss is probably the best I've ever seen because he makes eight free throws a game. He can do that and make those incredible line drives, 15 to 17 feet from the basket. That's a real gift, not just for him, but for BYU.
"I can't give you words and compliments to describe him. He's a great, great player, a player that we don't see very often in college. You can go a long time and not see someone like him. Definitely watch him in the Big 12, which is a great, great conference. He's averaging 25 (points) a game, and it certainly jumps off the page.
While Miller couldn't come up with a real comparison for DiBanza, he compared him to LeBron James for his out-of-position skills and ability to be a "destructive one-man team."
"He can do so many different things. AJ is obviously his own player, but that's just the way it goes," Miller said.“His size, his mobility, his skill level, his mentality of being able to be a smart player, make his teammates better, get to the foul line, that makes it very difficult (to defend against him).
But Miller went out of his way to make it clear that he sees BYU as much more than Dybanz's program.
"He obviously plays for a really, really good coach, who put him in this position and is obviously teaching him how to play the game," Miller said.
"He's surrounded by a great group of teammates. I know BYU got hurt late in the year (to Richie Saunders), which definitely hurt them, but their supporting cast is still very good. They're a good team, led by a great player. But they're also a good team."
